[Hotflush Recordings]

Hot on the tail of his remix packages from A Mutual Antipathy, Paul Rose has started the year with two killer remixes for Alpha Rhythm and Fever Ray. Following on from those is his new twelve on Hotflush which will further cement his status as one of the most compelling producers out. “Klinik” truly lives up to its name, as a detached, methodical dubstep onslaught whose only sense of warmth comes via an offbeat, subtly evolving chord. The futuristic dub-wrought drums remain clipped and dry, save for a reverb soaked snare that heightens the sense of space created by the absence of fussy, intricate programming. A steely, digital zap wipes across the face of the track, hitting another off beat while texture is created by leaking the sound of cue burns into the mix. The austere chord grows from a single note pulse to what almost becomes a full blown piano riff more in keeping with dubstep’s heritage of old rave tunes. A staple of Scuba’s recent sets, this is going to be doing damage for some time.

“Hundreds and Thousands” encapsulates the techno end of Scuba’s productions, sounding like a result of his DJ sets at Berlin’s Berghain. The beats are raw, the melodies pared right back to a mere suggestion, with much made of the incidental noises, whether it be the scratch of white noise that supplants a snare, the breathy gush of atmospheric air or ping-ponging percussion — all add to the industrial, machine driven feel of the track. Even more so than “Klinik,” it’s a resolutely cold affair, best suited to fans of Dettmann, Klock and kindred producers. While not as instantly engaging as some of his other work, “Hundreds and Thousands” works as a conspiratorial off-sider to the stone cold killer that is “Klinik.” Further top shelf wares from Scuba.